Beirut, Lebanon. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been re-elected to the post on Thursday. He had been the prime minister of Lebanon twice before. The resignation of Mustafa Adib on September 26 left the post vacant and paved the way for Hariri to be invited by President Michel Aoun to form the government.

Hariri was the strongest Sunni Muslim candidate to take the post, which must be held by a Sunni, under a 77-year-old pact. According to the pact, the presidency goes to Maronite Christians and the position of Speaker of the House to a Shia Muslim.

Lebanese office of the president disclosed via tweeter the news of Hariri having been appointed the prime minister. 65 lawmakers backed Hariri for the post of the prime minister, while another 53 abstained from voting and two were absent during the talks, according to the president’s office.

Hariri had led the cabinet from 2009-2011 and again from 2016-19 before he resigned in October 29 amid mass anti-government protests which was the outcome of the devastating financial and economic crises. After Hariri’s resignation, Lebanon’s economic crisis has deepened and has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Adding to that was the blast in the port of Beirut, which left over 200 people killed and thousands of others injured and loss of property worth billions of dollars.

Hariri’s appointment after academician Hassan Diab and diplomat Mustafa Adib as the prime minister within a short period of time shows how deep the political crisis in Lebanon is.